With tobacco giant John Player’s support, Norton (which was restricted to
production derived machines) returned to competition in 1972, in the 750 class.
During its first year, the team used a modified Commando engine and a tubular
frame. But the team’s boss and chief development engineer, Peter Williams, was
convinced that a monocoque frame was the right way to go. He created the Norton
JPS Monocoque, which only raced in 1973.

Lack of Finance
The idea was to create a lighter, lower, more aerodynamic bike, but –
lacking funds
Williams was forced to make compromises. Instead of being in light-alloy, the
frames were made of stainless steel, which proved as heavy as the tubular
frames. Moreover, the mechanics complained about the difficulty of working on
the enclosed engine.

Tourist Trophy Winner
Williams had the only machine ready in time for Daytona in 1973, but had
carburetion problems. During the Anglo-American Easter series of six short races
on three British circuits – Brands Hatch, Mallory Park and Oulton Park –
Williams won three races and finished first overall. Williams then beat Barry
Sheene (Suzuki) at Cadwell Park and won the 750 Formula Isle of Man TT with a
record lap of 107.2 mph. Factory policy caused Norton to abandon the monocoque,
replaced in 1974 by a multi-tube girder frame. Williams, who gave up racing
after an accident in 1974, later designed and developed Formula 1 car engines
for Cosworth Engineering, which were used by McLaren and Benetton in 1993.

Norton withdrew from racing in 1954. The company
protested that the cost of racing was constantly rising because four-cylinder
motorcycles were used, especially by the Italians, that had nothing in common
with normal production motorcycles.
In 1972 Norton went back into racing with a vehicle derived from its Commando
750. The new racer, a Norton two-cylinder 750, was prepared for top-class world
championship racing. It was the product of detailed study and work by the finest
technicians in British motorcycling.

The pride of British motorcycles was their
chassis. Following the success of the famous Featherbed chassis of Norton's
two-shaft Grand Prix,
many other large-cylinder British motorcycles—built by Triumph, Norton, BSA, and
AJS—gave stiff competition to the big Japanese, German, and Italian
two-wheelers, and this was chiefly due to their chassis. Thus Norton
concentrated all its efforts on the body and chassis of its 750 Daytona.

The redesigned Commando that Norton entered at
Daytona Beach in 1972 came in fourth overall, thanks chiefly to the skill of
Phil Read. The following year the Norton was again redesigned. It was now called
the John Player Special (JPS), because of financing from the Player cigarette
company. It was raced at Daytona Beach and at Imola, Italy.

The engine was still the usual two-cylinder one
derived from the production models, while the chassis was constructed with a
steel-plate body. The fairing, according to the builders, provided an increase
in speed equal to 15 more h.p. in the engine.
In 1973 Peter Williams, one of the world's finest racers, rode the Norton JPS
with limited success, having to settle with modest placings. But in Britain he
won the Tourist Trophy in the 750 class, slightly bettering the record.

By the end of 1973 the Norton JPS's poor
performance was being blamed on the chassis. The single-piece body was abandoned
in favor of a complicated structure of tubular elements. During the 1974 season
the performance of the JPS improved and it often came in among the leading
positions. It was ridden by Williams and by Dave Croxford that season. Between
1975 and 1976 the most important modification was made—the engine was changed.
But this last attempt to make the motorcycle competitive, if not a winner, was
disappointing, and Norton withdrew from racing for a second time.

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